Friday, January 18, 2013

On the last Schlippenbach Trio concert, when I was talking to Evan
Parker for almost an hour after the gig, he told me that he has lived from day
to day as to musical plans but now – at the age of 68 – it seemed time for him
to realize that you could not live forever. This is why he plans to re-release
some important out-of-print albums he made (or was part of) in the past,
actually he named the seminal duo album “Chirps” on FMP (with Steve Lacy). “One
Four and Two Twos” belongs to this plan as well because the first four tracks
were released as “4,4,4” on View records (1980) and with the fifth track on
this album here they were reissued under the same title on Konnex in 1993
(including an unissued SME track with Nigel Coombes and Roger Smith).

And it is soon quite clear why Parker wanted to have this album made
available again, for it is a missing link. Guy (b, electronics), Rutherford
(tb, euphonium), Parker (ss, ts) and Stevens (dr, voice) have all been members
of the SME (Spontaneous Music Ensemble) in the late 1960s (e.g. on the
legendary “Withdrawal” album) and here they have teamed up again about ten
years later. Then in their twenties, they had wanted to explore new paths in
music and especially improvisation, and you soon realize that they have moved
on as personalities. All of them had socialized with musicians in the US or on
the continent - especially Germany and the Netherlands - but they had kept on
playing with each other as well (particularly Parker and Guy). It is obvious that the music we have here has
changed and the result is more extroverted free jazz compared to early SME
stuff. The longest piece, “4,4,4”, is a wonderful interaction of these extraordinary
players, with Stevens driving them in front of him, shouting in rapture like an
Indian chief on warpath. But their roots are still audible in more contemplating,
quieter parts (for example in “3,4,4”) where you can hear something which has
always been the key element of this music: it is the ability to listen and to interact
(or as Stevens put it: “If you don’t listen why are you in a band?”).

In addition to the original LP two previously unissued duo sessions have
been added on this reissue. Paul Rutherford and Barry Guy were two thirds of
Iskra, a revolutionary percussionless trio. According to Martin Davidson’s
liner notes “they also performed as a duo from time to time, and the duo tracks
heard here are from an Italian tour.” You can hear what a marvelous player the
late Rutherford was (he is really missed!), all the three pieces are wild, sick
rides, both musicians are struggling with each other on a high technical level
and Guy is adding some interesting weird electronic sounds.

The 1992 pieces are a duo of Stevens and Parker sounding very much like
early SME on the on hand, on the other hand it is truly Parker as he sounds in
his duo with Paul Lytton, full of energy, a masterful player accompanied by
another genius.

Although Evan Parker’s name was used in a prominent position he has
always stated that the sessions were organized by Stevens. He said that these
pieces were the sound check for a recording that had never happened. The
musicians went to the pub and never got back. Can you imagine what they were
able to do at real gigs?

Thank you, Richard.I like this story as well, it is mentioned in the liner notes. As to "Chirps" I definitely agree, a wonderful album. For those who can't wait: It is also available on the destination-out.com website as a legal download (just follow the FMP hints).